12/23 TNA Impact Recap (All the Gold is Worth a Fortune)

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Footage of last week’s main event where Matt Morgan & Mr. Anderson went up against Jeff Hardy & Kazarian where Rob Terry came out to assist Immortal in winning the match. We then head into the Impact Zone where Immortal’s music is playing as they are coming out to the ring along with Terry. The ring has a couple of scales in it so there can be an official weigh in for the #1 contenders match at Genesis.

Ric Flair says that Rob Terry has taken hold of an opportunity to show them that he can be a bodyguard for Immortal and tells him to prove himself. Eric Bischoff then steps in and talks about tonight’s official weigh in and says that there are also doctor’s present to check on both athletes to make sure they are healthy. Bischoff is then cut off by Morgan’s music as he comes down to the ring.

Morgan says the whole thing they have going on is a sham and says Bischoff has reached a whole new level of low by putting Anderson in a match while having brain trauma. Bischoff says he has two doctors there to make sure they are in perfect condition to wrestle and he tells Morgan to step on the scale while the doctors give him a physical. Morgan begins to give his rebuttal as he is interrupted by Mick Foley’s music.

Foley tells Morgan that he will handle things tonight as to not jeopardize Morgan’s future. Foley talks about his last match in the Impact Zone and also suffered a concussion during his match against Flair. Foley says they have learned a lot about concussions over the years and says that Anderson is in no shape to wrestle after what he saw in the ring last week.

Flair steps in and calls Foley pathetic and says that he’s the reason kids are jumping off buildings and rolling in tacks and now they all have to pay the consequences. Foley says he knows he has been part of the problem and now wants to be part of the solution. Foley talks about learning from his mistakes and how he isn’t going to let Anderson make the same ones he did. Bischoff steps in and says he sees that Foley is trying to be a sympathtic hero but he isn’t going to allow it to happen and says the match will go on as Immortal leaves the ring.

The Impact intro hits as we are welcomed to tonight’s show that will feature an Iron Man Match between Douglas Williams and AJ Styles for the Television Title, the finals of the Knockouts Tag Team Championship. Plus, Team Motorcity Machine Guns will take on Team Beer Money for the TNA Tag Team Championships on this loaded holiday edition of Impact.

Matt Morgan is in the locker room and is approached by Jeff Hardy. Hardy says he means no harm and tells Morgan that this is about professional wrestling and tells him to create his own destiny and not listen to the likes of Mr. Anderson or Mick Foley, who are only looking out for their own good. Hardy tells him to think about that during tonight’s match before leaving.

Jeff Jarrett comes down to the ring for another open contest in then Double J Double MA Challenge. Jarrett says he is disappointed in everyone as it is obvious that nobody will make him tap out or submit. Jarrett says he is now going to open it up to the professionals and says that Amazing Red impressed him enough last week to allow him a shot at the challenge.

Match 1: Jeff Jarrett vs. Amazing Red (Double J Double MA Challenge)
Jarrett goes on the attack as Red enters the ring and quickly takes him down before finally locking in an ankle lock to make Red tap out. Jarrett then pulls Red up to his feet and asks if he has any relatives that want to participate. Red says he has a younger brother and Jarrett tells him to bring him next week.

Madison Rayne and Tara are backstage discussing their game plan in the Knockouts Tag Team Tournament. Rayne says they will be wrestling with just one body since Tara is out, while Tara tells her to make it quick as she has a party to go to with Generation Me.

Rob Van Dam is backstage and is saying that tonight is the night that he finally gets his hands on Jeff Hardy. RVD says he cannot wait to show him his boot.

Match 2: Max Buck vs. Jeremy Buck vs. Robbie E. vs. Kazarian (#1 Contender for X Division Championship)
Jay Lethal joins the announce team for this match to get a close look at who will be gunning for his championship. The match starts as GenMe team together to beat down Robbie E. in the early going of the match. Cookie then gets involved as she trips up Max and Robbie takes control of the match. GenMe then use some innovating double team moves to regain control as Kazarian refuses to get involved in the match. Robbie then sends the Bucks into each other as Kazarian tags himself in , tosses Robbie out to the floor, and hits Jeremy Buck with an inverted piledriver to pick up the pin fall. Kazarian then stares down over at Lethal as he is the new #1 contender.

Sarita is seen walking into the Beautiful People’s locker room and is holding a belt behind her back as she closes the door on the camera and we head into a commercial break. We return to see footage of what happened during the break as Sarita brutally beat down Velvet Sky with the belt. Velvet tries to make a comeback but she is choked out by Sarita and the belt. Angelina is seen running in a bit later to help out her partner.

Eric Bischoff is Immortal and says the they have a big problem with Dixie Carter are her lawyers. He tells them that they need to hold all of the championships in the company as gold means power. Bischoff says its within their grasps and tells them to do it for each other and for Hulk Hogan.

Brian Kendrick and is talking with a cafeteria woman who gives him some cookies just to shut him up. Mike Tenay and Taz think Kendrick is out there as we head into the next match.

Match 3: Madison Rayne & Tara vs. the Beautiful People (TNA Knockouts Tag Team Tournament Finals)
Angelina Love comes out by herself for this match as Velvet Sky has just suffered that brutal attack by Sarita. The match starts as Madison and Angelina start things off and Angelina tries to pick up a few quick pin falls but Madison is able to kick out. Madison then turns things in her favor as Tara is briefly tagged in to get in a few kicks on Angelina. Madison continues to wear Angelina down as Tara nails Angelina with her brace while the referee’s back is turned. Winter then comes out, gets in the ring and takes out both Madison and Tara. Winter then covers Madison to pick up the pin fall to win the TNA Knockouts Tag Team Championship.

The Pope is seen talking on the phone as he is approached by Eric Young and Orlando Jordan. EY is wearing a reindeer costume and Jordan is wearing a skimpy Santa outfit and hands them a check to to help out his congregation. The Pope then continues talking on the phone and says to get the deal going.

Match 4: AJ Styles vs. Douglas Williams (Iron Man Match for TNA Television Championship)
This match will go on with Iron Man rules for 15 minutes. Williams and Styles go back and forth in the opening moments with Williams getting in most of the offense and is trying to wear Styles down with armbars and headlocks. Styles is able to counter with a head scissors but Williams is able to get out with a front headlock and transitions into another armbar. Williams then whips Styles in the corner and follows with a knee to the sternum as we head into a commercial break.

We return to the match to see that AJ Styles is up 1-0 after hitting a Styles Clash and picking up a pin fall during the commercial break. Styles then retreats to the floor as he begins to milk the clock. Styles then drags Williams out to the floor and sends him into the steel steps before heading back into the ring. Styles then continues to wear down Williams in the ring and picks up a couple of near falls in the process but Williams refuses to be pinned yet again.

Williams begins to gain some momentum and picks up a few near falls as this match is down to about 90 seconds. Williams then hits a series of clotheslines as we are told there is only one minute left in the match. Williams is then able to hit the Chaos Theory to pick up the pin fall and tie the match at one each. The time then expires as the match ends in a draw. Styles wants to put five more minutes on the clock as Earl Hebner says there will be an overtime period as we head into another commercial break.

We return to the Impact Zone where the overtime period has just started and Williams nearly picks up another pin fall after connecting with a DDT. Williams tries for a suplex from the middle rope but Styles fights him off and hits Williams with a flying forearm but Williams is able to kick out. Styles then connects with a Pele kick but Williams is again able to kick out. With one minute left in the overtime period, Styles heads to the top rope but Williams knocks him down. The two then fight on the top rope and Williams takes him down with a back drop as time expires.

After the match is over, Styles grabs a microphone and says the fans want to see a winner and challenges him to a match at Genesis but Williams says he got his rematch and didn’t beat him, so he refuses the challenge. Styles says Williams isn’t a fighting champion and Williams finally agrees to the match, but suggests that if Styles loses he will have to walk away from Fortune. Styles says he won’t do it as Eric Bischoff comes out and says if he doesn’t get the title back there will be no spot in Fortune or Immortal for him.

Beer Money, Abyss and Jeff Hardy are backstage and says that it is time for them to regain the Tag Team Championship. Hardy then challenges RVD to come and get him as we head into a commercial break.

We join the announce team where they are talking with Mr. Anderson via satellite. Anderson says he is cleared to return to the ring and will be at Genesis. Anderson talks about the tests he had to take and says the doctors didn’t see anything that would raise an alarm, so he is good to go. Anderson then gets offensive by Taz’s questioning and says he doesn’t have to answer to them as he cuts out of the interview.

The Motorcity Machine Guns, RVD and Matt Morgan are in the backstage area and Morgan is concerned about Anderson but everyone else is too pumped about their upcoming match and brush it off.

Match 5: Team Beer Money vs. Team Motorcity Machine Guns (TNA Tag Team Championship)
The match starts as RVD starts strong against James Storm. Morgan is tagged in and works over both members of Beer Money and sends Robert Roode down to the canvas with a fallaway slam before tagging in Alex Shelley. The Guns use some quick tandem offense to further wear down Roode but Storm gets involved and turns the match into their favor. Abyss is tagged in and continues to wear Shelley down before tagging in Jeff Hardy. Hardy continues where Abyss left off and also spits on RVD, which gets under his skin.

Immortal then begin to use quick tags in and out to continue wearing down Shelley but he is able to counter an attempt at the Eye of the Storm and connects with a kick to the back of the head. Shelley isn’t able to get to his corner, though, as Hardy is tagged in and continues to wear down Shelley with a head lock. Shelley is finally able to crawl to his corner and tags in RVD as Hardy runs out of the ring to get away from him.

The match begins to wear down with bodies flying with Hardy taking out Matt Morgan with a Twist of Hate. RVD again goes after Hardy but Roode steps in and hits RVD with a spinebuster. Roode then takes out Shelley but Sabin flies into the ring and plants Roode with a DDT to pick up the pin fall and retain the Tag Team Championship as Impact comes to a close.